My sister has inspired this post. She really excelled herself with the gifts she gave me for my birthday this year. In honour of it being my 30th she got me 30 gifts all beginning with the letter J to represent my name. The thought, time, and effort that she went to was insane…she even individually wrapped every gift! That was the bit that really floored me because I hate, and I mean hate wrapping presents! I loved it though, it was so fun to unwrap everything and it was such a lovely collection of things. Some were silly such as jelly and jam, others were a little outside of the box like a mug with the letter J on it or a box of jasmine green tea, there was also real treats like a new jumper and jasmine and honey scented perfume. I can honestly say that there was not one thing that I didn’t like which is pretty good going with 30 different items!
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But, as much as I loved the actual gifts I realised that what I really loved was the thought and effort behind the idea. I pride myself on being thoughtful when it comes to gifts as well, for her 30th I put together a box of books, one to read each month until her next birthday. These books were individually wrapped and all with a message explaining why I had picked them. There were instructions to open one each month rather than all at once so she would have monthly treats throughout the year. Another example would be my boyfriend’s 30th birthday where I put together a memory box with 30 different gifts to represent him and us. I put individual tags on each present to explain why it was included. Both of them loved the presents, and again I suspect that it was the thought that really made them smile.
As I write this however, I think of other gifts that I have received over the years, gifts where people have really splurged and treated me. For example my boyfriend got me a new laptop which has been a game changer and my parents got me the most beautiful tree of life necklace that I will never take off, it’s stunning! And these are meaningful in their own right also. They may not have taken as long to prepare, they may not take ages to wrap and then unwrap again, but the thought is definitely there and that makes them special also.
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Overall, I realise that the gifts that matter the most are the ones where people really think about the recipient. Whether big or small, expensive or inexpensive if the thought is there then the gift is meaningful and that is what matters.
This leads me to think about gift vouchers. I’m both guilty of giving them and asking for them, and I suppose it could be argued that there is no thought behind them. However, if you buy one because you want the recipient to get something that they really want but you are unsure of what that is then that is thought in itself, and it makes it a meaningful gift right? It’s better than grabbing something random and hoping for the best isn’t it? I think so.
What I do know is that I hope that I make the important people in my life smile as much with the gifts that I give them as they do for me.
What represents a meaningful gift to you? How do you approach gift giving with the important people in your life? As always I would love to hear your thoughts!
Thanks for reading, I hope that you enjoyed!
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Beyond The Front Cover 
Perfect ideas❤ especially for some close one😍
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Thanks so much 😁 I hope the gave you some inspiration 😊
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Yes it did!😊
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So nice to hear of all these gifts, it’s lovely when thought goes into it! I’m not very imaginative with presents and never know what to get.
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Thanks 😊 it’s a lot of pressure to try and come up with new ideas all the time though. I suppose overall what matters is that the person receiving the present is happy 😊 thanks for commenting!
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Perfect. Would love to have a sister like this, so meaningful and imaginative. If she was mine, I’d bribe/coax /persuade her to wrap all my Christmas presents, for everybody. I’ve written about the most meaningful present ever given to me.
Understanding my fascination with all wildlife and zero interest in dolls, my grandfather made something unforgettable for me, and bought a seven year old a classic science book too. ( forget the he and she, March 9th) .
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Yes really imaginative, I was so pleased and grateful 😊 ooh that’s a great idea but it would have to be a big bribe I imagine 😂
Aww that’s so lovely, your grandfather sounds like a very thoughtful man. Thanks for commenting 😊
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I love this post, it’s my mums 50th this year. I’ve got some great ideas now 😀
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Thanks 😊 it’s my dad’s 60th this year so I’m looking for any inspiration I can find. It’s a lot of pressure when it’s a big birthday for important people isn’t it 😊 I hope your mum feels really special when her birthday arrives!
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I love all your gift ideas – the 30th especially as like you said, so much love and thought went into this.
My sons are particularly thoughtful when they buy gifts for us, they tell me they got that from me lol (proud mum moment). They listen throughout the year and seem to remember what you’ve said and off they go hunting out special gifts and cards. I love their thoughful messages too.
My stepdaughters say they always love the gifts from us and often shout out “oh wow, how did you know?” etc. Like you, I appreciate the little things that are full of love and well thought out 🙂
Caz
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Awww such a lovely comment, thanks for sharing 😊 that’s so lovely that you have influenced your sons to buy thoughtful gifts because they mean so much don’t they 😊
Hopefully I can inspire my daughter through the years to be the same way. It’s a lot of pressure to keep coming up with ideas but so worth it in the end 😊
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It is a lot of pressure and time consuming but it’s worth it when we see their faces. With your little one, it’s about teaching her to accept gifts.
I saw one of my nephews a few times, saying to his grandparents (my inlaws) “I’ve got that already” “I hate this” and he threw it across the room!! Ugh!
But I can see, you’ll get it right cos she’ll watch you all opening all those special gifts, seeing the delight on people’s faces 🙂 x
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Oh yes, how you receive a gift is so important! It makes me so uncomfortable if somebody isn’t grateful, irrelevant of how they feel they should always be polite.
Oh no, that’s awful of your nephew, his grandparents must have been so upset! I would’ve struggled to not say something if I was there x
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Oh, I did and his parents didn’t like it very much – we left earlier than intended 😦
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It’s a shame they hadn’t taught him better in the first place but so many kids it seems don’t get taught the important lessons 😕
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Omg the books …one for each month…. that is the best gift idea ever!
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Thank you!! It’s the perfect gift idea for a bookworm 📚😍
It doesn’t have to be expensive either, not if you source offers like 3 for £5 for example. I do things like that because I love the satisfaction of a bargain 😂
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